"It's not working," Mara sobbed, her hot mouth seeking the wet, pulsing curve of his throat. "Nico, please, I'm burning up from the inside. Fvck me. Just fvck me, please."
She ground her wet, shivering body directly against the thick, agonizing strain of his erection.
"I can't, Mara," Nico gritted out in a harsh voice as he caught her wrists, holding them away from his neck. "Not right now. Not like this."
"Please," she sobbed; her dark eyes were wild and completely stripped of pride.
"Hold still," he commanded.
With rough hands, he found the hidden zipper of the ruined midnight silk dress. He dragged it down, peeling the heavy, freezing fabric off her shoulders and pushing it past her hips.
The dress dropped to the wet shower floor with a heavy slap, leaving her almost naked and shivering violently in the icy spray.
The sight of her flushed, bare skin under the water shattered another layer of his restraint.
Nico pinned her back against the slick glass wall of the shower. "Open," he demanded over the rush of the water.
She parted her thighs instantly, a ragged gasp leaving her lips. Nico didn't bother with a slow build-up; he thrust two fingers straight into her soaked, burning core, his thumb locking onto her swollen clit. The contrast of the freezing water and his hot, relentless hand sent her completely over the edge.
Mara shrieked, her head thrown back against the glass, her nails digging into his soaked shirt as another violent climax ripped through her. The water washed over them, but it couldn't cool the fire the drug had lit in her blood.
As soon as her inner walls stopped convulsing around his fingers, Nico withdrew his hand. He quickly turned off the water, grabbed a massive bath sheet, and wrapped her tightly in it before lifting her back into his arms.
He carried her into the bedroom, depositing her gently in the center of the massive bed.
Instantly, Mara reached for him, her wet fingers tangling in the edge of his ruined suit jacket. "Don't leave," she whimpered, her teeth chattering from the cold while her body still burned. "Nico, it's not enough. Please stay."
He gently but firmly pried her fingers off his jacket. "Try to get a hold of yourself," he rasped. "Close your eyes. Try to sleep."
He stood over her for three agonizing seconds. His chest heaved beneath his soaked clothes, his hands curled into tight fists at his sides.
He was fighting his darkest, most feral instinct, the primal urge to strip off his wet clothes, pin her to the mattress, and claim her exactly as she was begging him to.
Instead, he turned on his heel, walked out, and pulled the heavy oak door shut behind him.
The silence of the hallway offered no relief.
Nico needed cold water; he needed to wash her scent off his hands, and he needed to lock down the estate before he murdered someone.
He crossed into his own suite, stripping off his ruined jacket, his soaked shirt, and his heavy trousers, leaving a trail of wet clothes on the floor. He stepped into his own shower, cranking the handle to freezing.
He stood under the ice-cold spray, scrubbing his hands with sharp, violent motions. But the soap couldn't erase the slick, sweet scent of her arousal, and the water couldn't drown out the echo of her screaming his name.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her arched against the leather seat of the SUV, her flushed breasts heaving. His own erection was painfully thick—an agonizing ache that the cold water did absolutely nothing to soothe.
He stepped out, drying off roughly before pulling on a pair of dark sweatpants. He picked up his phone, dialing Luca.
"Full lockdown," Nico ordered, his voice devoid of any warmth. "Nobody in, nobody out. Double the perimeter. I want the hotel footage pulled and whoever hired those thugs identified before the sun comes up."
"Understood, Boss," Luca replied.
Nico tossed the phone onto the nightstand.
Thirty minutes passed.
Nico stood in the center of his dark bedroom, the chaos of the night still burning through his veins. The estate was secure, but the air in the room felt impossibly thin.
He slowly turned his head, looking at the connecting door.
He walked over to it, placing his palm flat against the heavy wood, and leaned his head closer. Through the thick oak, he could hear it.
Moans.
She let out soft, broken, desperate whimpers while the sheets rustled frantically. She was suffering on the other side, alone, calling out his name in a feverish loop.
The last frayed thread of Nico's restraint snapped clean in half.
He turned the handle and pushed the door open.
Mara was tangled in the sheets, the towel discarded on the floor. Her body was flushed, her hands moving frantically over her own skin.
At the sound of the door opening, her head whipped around. When she saw him standing there, bare-chested, a ragged sob of relief tore from her throat.
Nico crossed the room in three massive strides. He didn't say a word; he crashed onto the bed over her, capturing her mouth in a desperate, bruising kiss.
Mara whimpered loudly into his mouth, her arms wrapping fiercely around his neck, pulling him down with everything she had.
He tore her legs apart, settling between her thighs without breaking the kiss. He reached down, shoving his sweatpants out of the way, freeing his aching, rigid length.
Mara arched up, seeking him blindly, her wet, burning core brushing against the tip of his cock.
Nico gripped her hips, his fingers digging into her soft flesh, and with one smooth, powerful thrust, he buried himself entirely inside her.
Mara's back arched sharply off the mattress, a loud, breathless scream ripping from her throat as he stretched her completely full.
Nico dropped his forehead against the crook of her neck, a deep, guttural groan tearing from his chest.
For a long moment, neither moved. They simply held each other, gasping for air and exhaling in a shared, profound shudder of pure relief.
Then Nico moved.